Shopping malls have become a familiar part of the American landscape over the past 30 years. In times past, standalone shops set side-by-side on urban streets were more typical. As cities grew and Americans moved to the suburbs, major malls sprang up to serve the shopper. Super malls in major cities now have hundreds of stores which the consumer can visit in one trip. Centralizing many retailers under one roof created a welcoming, climate controlled environment for the shopper to linger and comfortably spend more time and therefore mare money in a variety of different stores.
The centralized, compact nature of the mall solved the problem of having to run back and forth between stores in and out the elements. The mall solution however created another problem. Parking at the mall is remote to all but the stores on its perimeter. A trip to the mall can easily result in several miles of walking, beginning with the trip from the car and the inevitable return to the automobile which may be parked hundreds of meters from the entrance. During the holiday shopping season this becomes more of an issue. The malls and their parking lots are even more crowded as the shopper spends more time buying from even more stores in a single trip.
The fun of shopping quickly becomes an endurance contest as one bag is added to another; two becomes three, becomes more. The weight increases and the strain of the bag handle on the fingers and arms increases. Many retailers have turned to the less expensive plastic bags where the handles stretch and cut into the hand from the weight, causing the handle to collapse and cut off the circulation. In addition, depending on the height of an individual, the need exists to lift the bags and hold the collection at a distance which will keep them from dragging the floor. In a very short time, the combined purchases become very heavy and increasingly cumbersome.